Does this method of eating for 8 hours and fasting for 16 really work?

Intermittent diets, as this type of nutrition method is known that allows the consumption of food at certain times, have become popular in recent years among people who want to lose weight without having to give up their common eating habits.

The best known of these practices is the 5: 2 diet, which consists of eating without restriction any type of food for five days a week, but fasting completely the next two days and drinking only water.

In response to said concept, the 16: 8 diet was born. Unlike 5: 2 this does not refer to the days of the week but to the hours of the day. The intention is to eat for 8 hours and to fast for 16. It seems extreme but a lot of the fasting hours happen at night while the person is sleeping.

According to some experts who talk about the 16:8 diet in social media, it is suggested to apply a lapse of food consumption from 10 in the morning until 6 in the evening, decreasing the consumption of carbohydrates during the hours close to 6:00 pm. In the later hours of fasting that would go from 6 in the afternoon to 10 in the morning, the person may consume only water or drinks without caloric content.

This method gained popularity when fitness expert Martin Berkhan began to explain the advantages of its implementation. For Berkhan the moment in which it is decided to fast during the day will not affect the results of the diet and can be modified according to the demands and lifestyle that each person requires. That is, you can decide to eliminate food and consume food only from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., or otherwise skip breakfast and start eating from noon until 8:00 p.m.

Some of its benefits

Due to the relative novelty of intermittent diets, there are still no robust scientific studies that can accurately determine the benefits and risks of this feeding method.

However, a group of academics from the University of Illinois, the University of Indiana and the Salk Institute of Biological Studies met to observe the impact of the 16:8 diet to which 23 obese patients were subjected during four weeks.

The results, published in the scientific journal Nutrition and Healthy Aging, showed that individuals who underwent the mentioned alimentary method managed to lose an average of three kilos in 12 weeks. Also, they had a reduction in the average caloric intake of 341 calories.

In addition, it was attributed additional health benefits such as reduced heart disease and diseases related to aging, decreased risk of cancer, increased longevity and cognitive improvement.

Regarding the risks

According to the study cited, among the risks of carrying out the 16: 8 diet was an increase in the physical discomfort of some patients, headaches, dizziness and difficulties to maintain concentration.

According to the British nutritionist Kerry Torrens for the BBC, these intermittent diets should be assumed as a feeding plan and their success lies in the type of products consumed. Torrens recommends including the consumption of essential and healthy fats such as fish, nuts and seeds, lean sources of protein, whole grains and many vegetables and vegetables to supply all the necessary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

If, on the other hand, the diet is carried out by ingesting carbohydrates, unhealthy fats, sugars, and processed products, the results will not be visible and, on the contrary, there could be the risk of suffering some kind of physical decompensation. Would you submit to the 16:8 diet?